The present invention relates to job management in computer networks.
Computer networks often include multiple computer systems. Typically, each computer system has a technical system administrator who is responsible for all kinds of technical issues related to the computer system. For example, a technical system administrator takes care of user authorizations, setting up tape-mounts, system backup, database reorganization, and so on. Many of these tasks are performed by so-called batch jobs (which will be referred to simply as “jobs”). A job is typically run in the background at a time where the system load through processes that interact with users is low. For example, a scheduler of a computer system performs the task of starting a job when a predefined start condition is fulfilled. In many cases a second job cannot start before a first job has ended because the first job generates output data needed as input for the second job. A problem can occur when the first job dies before having generated all output data. In this case the second job will not receive all required input data. For example, a job can die because of a missing user authorization or a failed tape-mount. The technical system administrator will then be notified and will fix the error.
In the case of a computer network, dependencies between multiple batch-jobs of different computer systems usually exist. That is, for example, a job in a first computer system should not start before successful completion of a job in a second computer system. Usually, a network scheduler is used to control the start and end of various jobs in different computer systems at the computer network level. Typically, in a computer network that is used for business purposes, a business oriented administrator is responsible for the network scheduler. The business oriented administrator is notified when a job from the first computer system dies and, therefore, a dependent job in the second system does not start. However, the technical administrator of the second system is only notified that the dependent job did not start as scheduled.